Iraqi security forces kill 3 Daesh terrorists in Diyala

By Hussein al-Amir and Ali Jawad

BAGHDAD (AA) - Three Daesh terrorists were killed Friday during a security sweep carried out in Iraq’s eastern Diyala province, according to a local police source.

“Army troops backed by Hashd al-Shaabi forces killed three Daesh militants in the Hawd Hemrin district northeast of provincial capital Baqubah,” Diyala Police Captain Habib al-Shimar told Anadolu Agency.

The security operation was launched after the militants were spotted by local residents who then informed the authorities.

In capital Baghdad, meanwhile, at least one civilian was killed -- and two others injured -- when unidentified assailants opened fire on a cafe, Baghdad Police Captain Hamad Khalaf told Anadolu Agency.

In a related development, the Iraqi army said in a Friday statement that it had broken up a “terrorist cell” in the Albu Seif district south of Mosul.

Late last year, Iraqi officials declared that Daesh's military presence in the country had been all but destroyed.

It appears the notorious terrorist group, however, still maintains “sleeper cells” in several parts of Iraq.